I
initially wrote this up right after the incident with the sheriff but
I decided ultimately not to publish it, to just move on and I hoped
she would too but apparently not...
You might remember I reported last January that my neighbor who owns the empty lot next to me with the storage buildings and container at the back, after a year and a half of friendly contact and conversation trying to support her in her grief after her husband died suddenly and her complaints about how her son and grandsons were treating her she suddenly accused me of stealing her tomato cages, her bricks, and her mortar blocks which I denied because I didn't take any of her stuff. I thought that was the end of it and that was the last time I have spoken with her.
So last February
when I was working on clearing weeds and johnson grass out of one of
the raised beds over at the shop I noticed that she and her
son were over at her property. A few minutes later a
sheriff's deputy drove up and they talked for a while and then the
deputy headed over to our house. Marc came out and he and the deputy
talked for a while and then headed back towards the big backyard and
after another little while the deputy went back over to my neighbor,
they talked some more and then everyone got in their cars and left.
I'm on the phone
to the husband...”What?”
She's still
accusing me (us) of stealing her tomato cages, her (40 or so)
'mexican' bricks, and her mortar blocks and has now added the charge
of prowling around on her property which we also don't do.
According to the
deputy she was ready to press charges. So Marc showed him around our
property, showed him all our paver bricks, the ones we hauled from
Houston, lining all my flower beds, showed him our mortar blocks that line another garden that we also brought from Houston and it's obvious these
bricks and blocks have been in place for years, long before any of
her stuff supposedly disappeared, showed him our two brick piles why
would we take hers when we have bricks of our own we haven't used
yet?, explained that we have tomato cages of our own and yes we
did borrow three cages from her husband two years ago with permission
and returned them after the spring garden was done. The deputy kept
saying if we were going over on her property to please stop to which
Marc kept replying we don't go over there. Apparently satisfied that
we didn't have any of her stuff he asked us to be good neighbors if
we see anyone over there and report it. The high road and all.
I called my
sister to vent and I imagine her ears were bleeding by the time I was
through.
A few days later
I saw my retired deputy neighbor in his yard and went over to talk to
him to see if I should be worried about this not particularly only
to learn that she had stopped to talk to him Friday on her way here
bending his ear about my thievery and wanting to know if he had ever
seen me over there no and tells him that I'm trying to take over
her property. When I was never served I thought, once again, that
that was the end of it.
Then last Friday
morning, five months later, she shows up with some guy, stays for a half hour or so and
leaves. This is what I saw when I went out in the big backyard...
with exclamation
points and underlined
Nice, right?
Because my view wasn't bad enough I guess. I have no idea what brought this on. The woman has gone bat shit crazy. She even painted the mortar blocks in front of the container red so as to put identifying marks on them? Who knows.
I've been
contemplating a response the past few days...
a 10' high
fence that would completely hide the container (but cost me too much
money)
plant some
tall fast growing shrubs along the property line there
lots of
colorful streamers on tall poles
my own sign
on my little wrought iron fence sections facing her container,
options including but not limited to...
fuck you
what the fuck
is wrong with you
well, bless
your little heart
and
do us both a
favor and get some therapy
I am going to
put up my last two strands of the Tibetan prayer flags between us that Joanne
sent me but I figure the best response is no response.
Just continue to ignore her and whatever she does over there.
Well good grief! She really is crazy. I wonder if she's got dementia - isn't thinking people are stealing from you a symptom? On the other hand, maybe there are nefarious folks around but for some reason she's decided it's YOU. Sheesh.
ReplyDeletewell, the property isn't fenced and there is a 12 acre field behind it and anybody can gain access. I don't understand why she thinks I'd be stupid enough to steal from my neighbor, if I was a thief that is.
DeleteHoly crap, you have got some serious church of the batshit crazy going on. One has to hope that there are no guns in her house. I am so sorry it has come to this, it's a pain in the ass when neighbors go off the deep end.
ReplyDeleteoh yeah, plenty of guns in her house. this is rural Texas after all. the funny thing is that after she called the sheriff I blocked her on FB and messenger and deleted her contact info though I can't stop her from reading my blog if she even does, but the few times she's been over since she called the sheriff, she always has a man with her as if she's afraid of ME. I think that's hilarious especially as I have no intention of ever speaking to her again.
DeleteOh, my gosh. I am so sorry that you are dealing with a neighbor like that. She is definitely dealing with some serious mental health issues. You will not be able to win this argument and it is best to stay as far away from her as possible. Plant some trees and don’t have any conversations with her ever again.
ReplyDeleteno I don't plan on ever speaking to her again. fortunately she doesn't live there, just some storage buildings.
DeleteSeems to me like this will cause upset every time you see it! Pretty hard to ignore. Geesh. I would have to do something to block it from my view. That woman has serious issues. I wonder if she will stop, or find some worse way to aggravate. Sorry you have to put up with it all.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty good at not noticing stuff like that and I'll probably plant some tall flowering shrubs along there. may not obscure it completely but will give me some screening.
DeleteThat's why I don't have neighbors I can see. If it was me I would plant some trees or shrubs that obscure the view.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad she doesn't live there. it's mostly an empty lot and yeah, shrubs on the horizon.
DeleteIncredible! I can't imagine you stealing aaaannnnything. So sorry you have had to deal with such crazyness. That is the equivalent of her Trump wall, sounds like they are kind of cut from the same cloth. Bamboo...it grows fast.
ReplyDeletemaybe timber bamboo, the other kind is too invasive.
DeleteClearly she has mental issues and is very fearful since her husband passed on. I am sure the police are tired of this as they have more important jobs. I would plant some tall cedars to hide the fence.
ReplyDeletethe last time I spoke to her (January) she claimed things were disappearing from her backyard where she lives in town, that there were mexicans living behind her and she didn't feel safe but why she thinks I'm stealing from her especially after she called the sheriff I have no idea. how stupid would I be to continue to do that, if I was doing that, after she called the sheriff?
DeleteOh Ellen, what a mess. I don't even know my neighbors in the city and I can't imagine what I'd do in your case. I saw a cute wall of fencing once made out of corrugated tin sheets like used in building barns and sheds. That should hide her ugliness and she'd be hard pressed to come over and glare. Let's hope karma bites her.
ReplyDeletewe were getting along fine until she put that container there and I had the nerve (how dare me) to blog about having a new view to get used to. I can understand about her being miffed about some of the comments even though I defended her but I have no idea where this whole theft thing is coming from. the property is unfenced and backs up to a 12 acre field with a trailer park on the other side.
DeleteOh, lord. Someone has some mental illness. I think your proposed course of action -- ignoring her -- is definitely the best one. Anything else would just inflame the situation. (Although maybe planting some tall shrubs wouldn't be a terrible idea.)
ReplyDeletethere's about 5 1/2' between the back edge of my flower bed there and the property line. plenty of room to plant shrubs when it cools off some. now to decide on something that gets tall, is evergreen, and blooms.
DeleteShe is most likely an escaped mental patient. Take the high road and ignore her but I would definitely look into getting something that is a rapid growing shrub that would block the view of that eyesore.
ReplyDeletehee hee. yes, that's in the works, something that will get 8 - 10' tall evergreen and blooms. too hot to plant right now.
DeleteThere is a limit to going 100% loving kindness and I couldn't sleep well ignoring her. She has accused you and insulted you. I suggest really BIG prayer flags. And something to restore your peace of mind.
ReplyDeleteBut whatever you do or don't do, she is obviously dealing with some paranoia - too deep for you to unravel. Be prepared.
I'm not worried about my physical safety. she might call the sheriff again but there's nothing for them to find and if she does I'll file a complaint of harassment. she doesn't live on the property and doesn't visit it all that often. I'll probably plant some shrubs along there in the fall. too hot now to plant anything.
DeleteGood fences make good neighbors, I'd def go with a fence for your own safety!
ReplyDeleteI'm not worried about my safety and a fence would cost a lot and I'll be damned if I let her make me spend money. maybe if she lived there I'd think differently but as it is now, she doesn't show up very often.
DeleteI'm glad you know more about bamboo than I do! A neighbor planted some in our alley---in the four foot wide space between their wood fence and the pavement, talk about a disaster! That stuff must be 15 feet tall, and has totally destroyed their yard, I called the city to complain, because when it rains the stuff can totally block the alley. A problem since all garages face the alley. Invasive? Oh
ReplyDeleteYES!
Oh, Lordy. I think your "the best response is no response" attitude is exactly right. It's probably good that you'll have to dally a bit before planting, too. It eliminates some of the tit-for-tat-ness that might just set her off more. The most important thing is not to get sucked into the craziness. You've got better things to do.
ReplyDeleteOh dear. I feel fortunate to have decent neighbors around me...except for the neighbor who called the cops because there was a BURGLAR in my yard (my daughter's Black boyfriend). Ah racism.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, she's not right. I have arbor vitae on the south side of my house (shudder) and they must be 15 feet tall. I'm getting them topped with the permission of the neighbors but they do create quite a barrier. Don't know how they do in Texas...
Your neighbor is frickin' nuts! Let's hope everyone else can see that!
ReplyDelete